Frank Viola
Born: 4/19/1960 in Hempstead, NY, USA
MLB Debut: 1982-06-06 | Final Game: 1996-05-28
Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 200 lbs
Full name: Frank John Viola
Biography
Frank Viola, born in 1960, was a prominent left-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1982 until his retirement in 1996. Over the course of his career, which spanned 14 seasons, Viola established himself as a formidable competitor on the mound, finishing with a career record of 176-150 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.73. He accumulated a total of 1,844 strikeouts, showcasing his ability to overpower hitters and contribute significantly to his teams' successes. Despite never recording a save, his role as a starting pitcher was pivotal during his tenure in the league.
Viola's career was highlighted by his outstanding performance in the 1987 postseason, where he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player while leading the Minnesota Twins to their first championship. His excellence on the field was further recognized when he won the coveted Cy Young Award, solidifying his status as one of the premier pitchers of his era. Additionally, he was selected as an All-Star three times, reflecting his consistency and skill throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. With his contributions to the game, Frank Viola remains a significant figure in baseball history, remembered for his competitiveness and remarkable achievements during a time of intense competition in the sport.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 176 | 150 | 421 | 420 | 74 | 16 | 0 | 2836.3 | 2827 | 1175 | 294 | 864 | 1844 | 3.73 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | MIN | AL | 4 | 10 | 22 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 126.0 | 152 | 73 | 38 | 84 | 5.21 | -2245.7 |
| 1983 | MIN | AL | 7 | 15 | 35 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 210.0 | 242 | 128 | 92 | 127 | 5.49 | -6607.8 |
| 1984 | MIN | AL | 18 | 12 | 35 | 35 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 257.7 | 225 | 92 | 73 | 149 | 3.21 | -745.2 |
| 1985 | MIN | AL | 18 | 14 | 36 | 36 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 250.7 | 262 | 114 | 68 | 135 | 4.09 | 659.7 |
| 1986 | MIN | AL | 16 | 13 | 37 | 37 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 245.7 | 257 | 123 | 83 | 191 | 4.51 | -1624.0 |
| 1987 | MIN | AL | 17 | 10 | 36 | 36 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 251.7 | 230 | 81 | 66 | 197 | 2.90 | 4180.6 |
| 1988 | MIN | AL | 24 | 7 | 35 | 35 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 255.3 | 236 | 75 | 54 | 193 | 2.64 | 5297.1 |
| 1989 | MIN | AL | 8 | 12 | 24 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 175.7 | 171 | 74 | 47 | 138 | 3.79 | 1850.5 |
| 1989 | NYN | NL | 5 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 85.3 | 75 | 32 | 27 | 73 | 3.38 | 1980.5 |
| 1990 | NYN | NL | 20 | 12 | 35 | 35 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 249.7 | 227 | 74 | 60 | 182 | 2.67 | 6463.2 |
| 1991 | NYN | NL | 13 | 15 | 35 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 231.3 | 259 | 102 | 54 | 132 | 3.97 | 475.9 |
| 1992 | BOS | AL | 13 | 12 | 35 | 35 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 238.0 | 214 | 91 | 89 | 121 | 3.44 | 367.9 |
| 1993 | BOS | AL | 11 | 8 | 29 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 183.7 | 180 | 64 | 72 | 91 | 3.14 | 332.5 |
| 1994 | BOS | AL | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.0 | 34 | 16 | 17 | 9 | 4.65 | -407.6 |
| 1995 | CIN | NL | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 | 20 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 6.28 | -518.6 |
| 1996 | TOR | AL | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30.3 | 43 | 26 | 21 | 18 | 7.71 | -1694.0 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 421 | 185 | 8 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 0.141 | 0.154 | 0.157 | 0.311 | -1477.1 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | MIN | AL | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1983 | MIN | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1984 | MIN | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1985 | MIN | AL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1986 | MIN | AL | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1987 | MIN | AL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1988 | MIN | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1989 | MIN | AL | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1989 | NYN | NL | 12 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0.130 | 0.0 |
| 1990 | NYN | NL | 35 | 85 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0.153 | -801.9 |
| 1991 | NYN | NL | 35 | 71 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0.127 | -675.2 |
| 1992 | BOS | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | BOS | AL | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1994 | BOS | AL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1995 | CIN | NL | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.167 | 0.0 |
| 1996 | TOR | AL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | WS | MIN | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1987 | ALCS | MIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 31.3 | 31 | 15 | 8 | 25 | 4.31 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | ALCS | MIN | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12.0 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 5.25 |
| 1987 | WS | MIN | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 19.3 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 16 | 3.72 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 421 | 420 | 84 | 371 | 32 | 19 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | MIN | P | 22 | 22 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 1983 | MIN | P | 35 | 34 | 7 | 23 | 1 | 2 |
| 1984 | MIN | P | 35 | 35 | 6 | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| 1985 | MIN | P | 36 | 36 | 6 | 33 | 5 | 0 |
| 1986 | MIN | P | 37 | 37 | 8 | 21 | 3 | 1 |
| 1987 | MIN | P | 36 | 36 | 6 | 34 | 3 | 1 |
| 1988 | MIN | P | 35 | 35 | 5 | 30 | 2 | 1 |
| 1989 | MIN | P | 24 | 24 | 7 | 26 | 3 | 1 |
| 1989 | NYN | P | 12 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1990 | NYN | P | 35 | 35 | 11 | 34 | 1 | 1 |
| 1991 | NYN | P | 35 | 35 | 6 | 34 | 4 | 1 |
| 1992 | BOS | P | 35 | 35 | 6 | 47 | 2 | 6 |
| 1993 | BOS | P | 29 | 29 | 10 | 31 | 4 | 1 |
| 1994 | BOS | P | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995 | CIN | P | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | TOR | P | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 421 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | TSN All-Star | LHP |
| 1989 | Player of the Week | Week of 1989-06-30 |
| 1988 | Cy Young Award | |
| 1988 | Pitcher of the Month | May |
| 1988 | TSN All-Star | LHP |
| 1988 | TSN Pitcher of the Year | |
| 1987 | Babe Ruth Award | P |
| 1987 | Pitcher of the Month | July |
| 1987 | World Series MVP |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | CIN | NL | $190,000 |
| 1994 | BOS | AL | $4,333,334 |
| 1993 | BOS | AL | $4,833,333 |
| 1992 | BOS | AL | $4,833,333 |
| 1991 | NYN | NL | $3,166,667 |
| 1990 | NYN | NL | $1,966,667 |
| 1989 | MIN | AL | $2,766,666 |
| 1988 | MIN | AL | $1,350,000 |
| 1987 | MIN | AL | $830,000 |
| 1986 | MIN | AL | $674,000 |
| 1985 | MIN | AL | $375,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $25,319,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's University | Queens | NY | 1979, 1980, 1981 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Cy Young Award | NL | 3rd | 19.0 | 120 | 0 |
| 1988 | Cy Young Award | AL | 1st | 138.0 | 140 | 27 |
| 1988 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 39.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1987 | Cy Young Award | AL | 6th | 5.0 | 140 | 0 |
| 1984 | Cy Young Award | AL | 6th | 2.0 | 140 | 0 |